Wednesday, June 6, 2018

(Horsens Havn, Denmark)- Sailing, big smiles and lots of community! With
over 70 youngsters sailing on ten J/70s! Add in expert coaching on
land and sea and there was something for everyone!

Horsens Sailing Club held the first YOUNGSTERS sailing camp for 15-23
year old kids from April 27-29 in a supplied fleet of ten matched J/70
one-design sailboats. The event was an incredible success and the kids
learned how to sail the J/70s quickly, thanks to the experts guiding
them on sail trim, tuning, and boathandling.

"We
had great participation from youth sailors across Denmark, in fact a
full camp! We can be satisfied with the fact that exploring new and
unknown territory with the YOUNGSTERS program paid off tremendously. The
kids were incredibly enthusiastic and want to continue participating in
more camps this summer,” says YOUNGSTERS Project Manager Peter Wolsing.

The focus of the YOUNGSTERS program is to create experiences, learning,
and social networks that can fill the young people with new inspiration
and enthusiasm when they go back to their home clubs.

Wolsing
continued to elaborate, "For us, it's about breaking down barriers and
opening new opportunities for youth sailors. We need more young people
to sail, we need to think in new and creative ways to engage the youth
and get them on the water. We believe that YOUNGSTERS sailing on J/70s
can be one of those outlets. The kids loved the J/70s, it was easy for
them to handle in all winds, and it’s fun and social for them to have
five kids on board.”

Wolsing also mentioned that one of the big carrots is that two
YOUNGSTERS teams will be selected, sponsored, and be allowed to
participate in the Danish J/70 Sailing League Second Division this
summer!Sailing photos credit- Per Heegaard